Kyrgyzstan, China sign agreement on gas pipeline from Turkmenistan

Kyrgyzstan and China have signed an agreement on construction of a gas pipeline crossing from Turkmenistan via Kyrgyzstan to China, the regional media reported on Dec.18 citing a statement by President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev.

"An agreement was signed with China on the gas pipeline construction worth two billion dollars," CA-NEWS Agency reported citing the Kyrgyz head of state.

In September 2013 it was reported that President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was in Ashgabat on a state visit, came to an agreement on the fourth direction of the trans-national Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline along the route Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan-China.

In 2009 Turkmenistan - China gas pipeline was commissioned and upon completion will increase the amount of Turkmen gas delivered to China up to 40 billion cubic meters in a year.

Ashgabat and Beijing have recently agreed on supplies of an additional 25 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas per year, which would bring the total volume up to 65 billion cubic meters.

Last year Turkmenistan produced 64.4 billion cubic meters of gas compared to 59.5 billion cubic meters of gas in 2011, the BP report on World Energy 2013 said.